nautilus

/ˈnɔː.tɪ.ləs/

//ˈnɔː.tɪ.ləs// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"nautilus" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nautilus” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #34,203. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#34,203
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
11
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A marine mollusc, of the family Nautilidae native to the Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean, which has tentacles and a spiral shell with a series of air-filled chambers, of which Nautilus is the type g...

Corpus desk

Index EN-nautilus · nautilus · English

nautilus · rank #34,203 · 11 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #34,203
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH mumbling

Nearest frequency peer: mumbling (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “nautilus”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “nautilus” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for nautilus
PropertyValue
Headwordnautilus
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈnɔː.tɪ.ləs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#34,203
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “nautilus”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).nautiluslands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “mumbling” (#34,202), “necked” (#34,204), “muddled” (#34,201). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “nautilus” is #34,203. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around nautilus (IPA /ˈnɔː.tɪ.ləs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #34,203 among 1,534 “N” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for nautilus, with forms such as "anutilus", "natuilus", and "nauitlus". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin nautilus, from Ancient Greek ναυτίλος (nautílos, “paper nautilus, sailor”). The correct English form is nautilus, spelled N-A-U-T-I-L-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A marine mollusc, of the family Nautilidae native to the Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean, which has tentacles and a spiral shell with a series of air-filled chambers, of which Nautilus is the type genus.
  2. 2
    A kind of diving bell that sinks or rises by means of compressed air.
  3. 3
    A paper nautilus (actually an octopus).

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how nautilus appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. He was still prepared to go on collecting all that life could offer, like a chambered nautilus patiently adding new cells to its slowly expanding spiral.

Etymology

From Latin nautilus, from Ancient Greek ναυτίλος (nautílos, “paper nautilus, sailor”).

Synonyms

chambered nautilus

This word in other languages

nautilo(Español)nautile(Français)Nautilus(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • anutilus
  • natuilus
  • nauitlus
  • nautillus
  • nautilsu
  • nautiluss
  • nautiuls
  • nautlius
  • nauttilus
  • nnautilus
  • nuatilus

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of nautilus - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

anutilus2natuilus2nauitlus2nautillus1nautilsu2nautiluss1nautiuls2nautlius2
Edit distance from "nautilus"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "nautilus"?
"nautilus" is spelled N-A-U-T-I-L-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnɔː.tɪ.ləs/.
What does "nautilus" mean?
As a noun, "nautilus" means: A marine mollusc, of the family Nautilidae native to the Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean, which has tentacles and a spiral shell with a series of air-filled chambers, of which Nautilus is the type g...
What are common misspellings of "nautilus"?
Common misspellings include "anutilus", "natuilus", "nauitlus", "nautillus", "nautilsu". The correct spelling is "nautilus".
How do you pronounce "nautilus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nautilus" is /ˈnɔː.tɪ.ləs/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "nautilus"?
From Latin nautilus, from Ancient Greek ναυτίλος (nautílos, “paper nautilus, sailor”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "nautilus", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

mumbling#34,202meatball#34,190pizzeria#34,227populate#34,228

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

mitzvah11 variantsmingled11 variantsMedford11 variantsPtolemy11 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list